We are leaving Haines Hitch-Up Campground. The lady in the office came out to wave us goodbye. Very nice campground. We headed out early in the morning and got on the Haines Highway which took us to Haines Junction where we connected with the Al-Can Highway. The most beautiful drive is from Haines to Haines Highway. Drove right alongside the Chilkat River and the Chilkat Range of mountains. Very good roads. We stopped at some scenic viewpoints and took pics but there is no way to capture the beauty of this area. You will have to see it to believe it. We even saw a phone booth all decorated with flowers! Crazy.
We went through Canadian Customs about 40 miles out of Haines. They asked lots of questions and came in the rig to check out our wine. We went through just fine. That stop took several minutes but it was no problem. The road started climbing up through Chilkat Pass(3,510 feet elevation). We got above the trees. There were some lakes and creeks and some snow and high peaks. We even saw swans! It started raining along this stretch when we got higher elevation. It was still fantastic to see. After passing through that part of the Haines Highway we went from British Columbia to Yukon Territory. From this place until Haines Junction we saw bears! Five in all! They were not together just by themselves on the side of the road. We think 2 black bears and 3 grizzlies. The roadside was also full of flowers…purple, white, yellow and even some bluebonnets!
We made the turn on the AlCan with no problem. It was right before you enter Haines Junction. We didn’t have far yet to go to the campground and the roads were OK. We saw a couple of cyclists…not together but on their own. We had seen a young man on each of our ferry rides who was riding a bike. Wished I would have asked him where he was going but I didn’t. Can’t believe someone would travel all through Alaska on a bicycle!
We had some construction on the highway just before our campground. Went through with no problem. We are camping at Cottonwood RV Park on the shore of Kluane Lake near Destruction Bay, Yukon Territory, Canada. Very nice lady at our campground. We have a site facing the lake. I need another word for beautiful…but it is beautiful. We’ll be on our way again tomorrow and hope to make it safely through any rough roads. We’ve heard all kinds of different stories about road conditions but feel sure we will see some tomorrow.
Showing posts with label Haines. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Haines. Show all posts
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Haines, Alaska, July 3-July 5, 2011
This trip we were on the M/V Malaspina. I saw a whale breeching!!! Too bad it wasn’t close enough for my camera. It was fantastic! We saw other whales but they were just swimming along taking breaths and blowing. They were all around us. I kept looking down into the water to see if one was there looking up at me.
We did go through some rain and ended up seeing a full double rainbow. Everyone was scrambling to get a pic….the whole thing would not fit into the viewfinder of the camera. Had to settle on bits. A man out on the deck took my pic and I took his with the rainbow in the background. It was so cool seeing the rainbow ends literally submerge themselves into the water. I will probably never see anything so amazing again.
We arrived in Haines about 9 PM and drove directly to the campground. Haines is beautiful driving into the town from the ferry. Small town at the foot of mountains. Magnificent! We ate red beans and rice at about 10 at night and did not go to sleep until midnight or after. It was still light!
Happy 4th of July! We woke up on the 4th and had a full day planned. We drove first to Chilkoot Lake. We spoke to State Trooper who was getting in a boat to check bear bait sites around the lake. Bear hunting is allowed by permit and hunter put out bait. They should have all been cleaned up by now and that’s why they were checking. We also met two ladies from Mississippi. They were traveling together through The Yukon and parts of Alaska. One lady had done it every summer for years and wanted to bring her friend. There is also a fish “dam” set up across the Chilkoot Lake and it is worked by a man who counts salmon going upstream. We stopped and talked to him for a while. He explained what he did and how the salmon run over the years. It’s fun to meet people like that. There were a couple of people actually wading into the water to fish. The area is famous for bear but we did not see any.
We headed back into town for the 4th celebration. We made it in time to watch the parade and then went to the park for the party. People were everywhere! They had games, food, book sale for the library and other things like a nail driving contest (they were using railroad spikes). We didn’t see the pie eating contest. We did buy lunch for $3.00 each…hot dog, chips and drink. It was all delicious. We sat at a picnic table with a couple originally from Colorado. They came to Haines on a tour about 8 years ago and ended up buying a house and moving there. They do have children in Anchorage but I’d understand why even if they didn’t have that reason. Haines is so small and quaint. Very laidback feel to it. After our conversation we went and bought some pie, sat down in the grass and enjoyed!
We left there and toured around the area and went back to the rig for a little rest. We ate some dinner and then headed to Ft. Seward for the music. We sat down on the grass and listened to the music and watched the people for a couple of hours. It was in the most beautiful setting….mountains all around. We finally got cold and tired and decided to go back home. It was a most perfect 4th of July in the most perfect setting. We leave tomorrow and head inland towards Fairbanks. We will stop in Destruction Bay for the night and go on again the next day. We have reservations at Cottonwood RV Park on Kluane Lake. Praying for good weather.
We did go through some rain and ended up seeing a full double rainbow. Everyone was scrambling to get a pic….the whole thing would not fit into the viewfinder of the camera. Had to settle on bits. A man out on the deck took my pic and I took his with the rainbow in the background. It was so cool seeing the rainbow ends literally submerge themselves into the water. I will probably never see anything so amazing again.
We arrived in Haines about 9 PM and drove directly to the campground. Haines is beautiful driving into the town from the ferry. Small town at the foot of mountains. Magnificent! We ate red beans and rice at about 10 at night and did not go to sleep until midnight or after. It was still light!
Happy 4th of July! We woke up on the 4th and had a full day planned. We drove first to Chilkoot Lake. We spoke to State Trooper who was getting in a boat to check bear bait sites around the lake. Bear hunting is allowed by permit and hunter put out bait. They should have all been cleaned up by now and that’s why they were checking. We also met two ladies from Mississippi. They were traveling together through The Yukon and parts of Alaska. One lady had done it every summer for years and wanted to bring her friend. There is also a fish “dam” set up across the Chilkoot Lake and it is worked by a man who counts salmon going upstream. We stopped and talked to him for a while. He explained what he did and how the salmon run over the years. It’s fun to meet people like that. There were a couple of people actually wading into the water to fish. The area is famous for bear but we did not see any.
We headed back into town for the 4th celebration. We made it in time to watch the parade and then went to the park for the party. People were everywhere! They had games, food, book sale for the library and other things like a nail driving contest (they were using railroad spikes). We didn’t see the pie eating contest. We did buy lunch for $3.00 each…hot dog, chips and drink. It was all delicious. We sat at a picnic table with a couple originally from Colorado. They came to Haines on a tour about 8 years ago and ended up buying a house and moving there. They do have children in Anchorage but I’d understand why even if they didn’t have that reason. Haines is so small and quaint. Very laidback feel to it. After our conversation we went and bought some pie, sat down in the grass and enjoyed!
We left there and toured around the area and went back to the rig for a little rest. We ate some dinner and then headed to Ft. Seward for the music. We sat down on the grass and listened to the music and watched the people for a couple of hours. It was in the most beautiful setting….mountains all around. We finally got cold and tired and decided to go back home. It was a most perfect 4th of July in the most perfect setting. We leave tomorrow and head inland towards Fairbanks. We will stop in Destruction Bay for the night and go on again the next day. We have reservations at Cottonwood RV Park on Kluane Lake. Praying for good weather.
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